Wolves in Sheep's Clothing:
by Bottou-chan
Summary: A company in LA is researching madougu... Joker, Neon, and Koganei go to stop them!
1. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Arrival

  

**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter One**   
**Arrival**   
**[Bottou-chan][1]**

**[My Page][2]**

"Ah, Mr. Musako. It's good to see you and your lovely wife have arrived safely." Mr. Henson stood up and strode over to the pair who had just entered his corporate headquarters. 

Musako bowed politely, but his fanged smile was anything but serious. "It's nice to be here," he said, his English tinted with a slight accent. "Hopefully, Arami and myself can be of great service to the Montfort Corporation." 

Arami, the aforementioned lovely wife, smiled brightly and tucked a few stray strands of red hair behind her ear. "It was a pleasant trip," she said, with a more discernable accent. "But we hope that all parties involved will come away from this partnership with mutal feelings of goodwill." 

"I'm sure we will, if you two are half as good as our sources tell us you are," beamed Mr. Henson. "Have you been to the hotel yet?" 

"We've been informed that all is prepared for our arrival… but no, we came here straight from the airport," said Musako. "You had mentioned having several packets of information which we'd need to look over… I want to pop over here and pick them up now, so I'll be able to look them over this evening." 

Arami laughed lightly. "That's my husband for you. Such a hard worker. Work, work, work. It's amazing I can convince him to get any sleep at night." 

Several comments rushed through Mr. Henson's head, mostly expressing disbelief that Musako could prefer paperwork to the nocturnal company of his lovely wife, but he politely refrained from any of them. He doubted they would have been kindly received by Musako. Instead, he smiled politely and asked, "I hear you two have a child?" 

"Oh, no. He's actually my nephew," explained Arami. "My dear older sister passed away unexpectedly last year, and we took the boy in. But I was informed you had arranged for his schooling to continue?" 

Mr. Henson nodded. "All of that has been taken care of," he reassured her. "And my condolences, regarding your sister. Now, here are the packets you had wanted…" He withdrew them from a drawer in his desk, and began going through them with Musako and Arami looking intently at them, nodding and commenting every so often.   


* * *

  
**_At the hotel_**

* * *

  
"It's amazing how good your English is, considering your Japanese is so deplorable," Arami said scornfully, reverting back to her native language. She gazed into a mirror, patting at her hair. "And what a horrid plane trip… I thought my legs would atrophy completely before we landed." 

"I wished my _ears_ would atrophy, so I wouldn't have to listen to you complain," suggested Musako, grinning fiendishly in her direction. "Anyhow, it's going to be a long six months, Neon-han, so why don't you try to stay in-character while we're alone? It would be much more pleasant." The fiendish grin grew even wider. "Just think. You get to be the oh-so-loving wife… 'Can I rub your feet for you, Musako-san?' 'Oh, Musako-san, that shirt's wrinkled… I can't have you going out like that! Let me iron it for you!' 'Oh, Musako-san, may I scrub your back for you?' 'Oh, Musako-san… the night's so cold… please warm me up'---- ooooff!" 

His loving 'wife' had slammed one of the couch cushions into his face, and he plopped down onto the sofa, rubbing his nose cheerfully. 

"Behave yourself, Joker-san," said Neon, glancing over at the third member of their party who was silently watching them, yet soaking in everything that was going on. "You're going to be a bad influence on Kaoru-kun." 

 "Au contraire!" responded Joker, placing his feet on the coffee table. "I'll be a very good influence on him. I'll tell him everything he needs to know about women. And the first rule is," he added, turning towards the younger boy, "If you ever meet a woman like Neon-han, _run_. She'll bite your head off with one misstep… or try and smother you with a pillow while you sleep. Her kind is dangerous." He paused for a moment, deep in thought, and then added, "What the heck… it's pretty much a bad idea to look for an Uruha girlfriend in the first place. They're _all_ bloodthirsty, violent Amazons." 

Another cushion hurtled his way, and he caught it neatly in his hands. 

"I don't see why I had to get dragged along with this," said Koganei, wisely changing the subject. "All I'm going to have to do is just go to school and make certain friends… it doesn't sound very integral to the mission." 

"That's what Kurei-han wanted Neon-han to think-- that you're part of the plan," explained Joker patiently. With a smirk, he added, "You're really here as a chaperone, to keep Neon-han from taking advantage of me when I'm alone and vulnerable---" 

"In your dreams," scoffed Neon, interrupting him. Turning to Koganei, she said in a much more patient voice, "It's really mostly psychological. If we're seen with a child, people won't suspect us as much, because they wouldn't expect us to involve someone your age in something like this. We thought about bringing Ganko-chan, but she's too little. But you're old enough to know what's going on, you've got good brains for figuring things out, and plus, you can take care of yourself in a pinch. Besides, you've had several years of English and she hasn't… but it's enough to get by here for a while." 

Joker stood up. "I still think it's superfluous, having two Jyushinshuu here on the same mission," he said, looking serious for once. "Either you, or me, plus an underling-I don't particularly care. But there's so much going on in Japan, I feel hesitant about us both leaving Kurei-han alone at the same time." He glanced at Neon significantly. 

"He's not alone," answered Neon. "If Raiha-san had left with us… I might feel worried. But if Kurei-sama felt comfortable with sending us away for six months to do this, I'm not going to second-guess him. We've already discussed this." 

Joker shrugged. "I just hope this isn't some wild goose chase. I hope Kurei-han's sources knew what they were talking about." 

"We'll find out soon," said Neon significantly. "Come on, you two. Help me unpack the clothes." 

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



	2. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Boundaries

  

**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter Two**   
**Boundaries**   
**[Bottou-chan][1]**

**[My Page][2]**

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Neon. There was somebody sprawled sleepily under her blankets. That particular someone had also appropriated all her pillows. 

Joker lifted his head sleepily. "Neon-han, I'm trying to adapt to the new time zone. Would you mind keeping it down?" 

"Go find somewhere else to sleep," Neon replied, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling off her socks. 

"But there's only one bedroom in the suite," responded Joker, his voice muffled. This time, his face was voluntarily buried in pillows. 

"Then share the couch with Kaoru-kun," replied Neon neatly. "But hurry up… I want to get changed into my pajamas and get some sleep, too. We've all worked hard, and we're all suffering from jet lag." 

Joker heaved an immense sigh. "Neon-han… you are outnumbered by one. If you insist on segregating the sleeping arrangements, then you can have the living room. You'll have a much more likely chance at success than trying to fit Koganei-chan and myself on the same narrow couch." 

"Baka," said Neon. "Who's silly idea was it to pass us off as a married couple?" 

"Kurei-han's," came the muffled reply. 

"Oh." She paused for a moment, then resumed. "But I am not, under any circumstances, going to share a bedroom with you. So get out." 

Joker scowled, sitting up abruptly. "Neon-han," he said, his voice extra-patient. "If you can't get over your ridiculous adolescent embarrassment about sharing a room with me… if you think that I can't manage to share a bed with you and just sleep… if you think that I'm about to do something like in those silly pink paperbacks you love to read-I feel sorry for you." He turned his back on her and curled up once more. 

Neon opened her mouth a few times. "Gomen," she said finally. "It's just with all your comments… I don't feel particularly comfortable about it," she explained softly. 

Joker was too tired to turn around. "It's good schtick," he said, "And it's cute getting a reaction from you… but what I said about not having relationships within the Uruha was real. It could be messy." 

Neon smiled. "Spare a few pillows for me," she said. "I'm going to get changed in the bathroom." 

"I'll keep the blankets warm, too," he replied, through an immense yawn. 

In the bathroom, she quickly changed into a pair of comfortable flannel shorts and a T-shirt. She gave her hair its customary one-hundred strokes with the brush as she contemplated what had brought them here. 

Two weeks ago, Kurei had summoned her and Joker into his office. 

"This is the Montfort Corporation," he had said, handing each of them a docket to page through. "It's an engineering company in America, based out of California.  Their best engineers are currently working on a top-secret project. Within the next four months, it looks like they might succeed in creating modern-day madougu. If that happens, these will be the first madougu created in over four hundred years. 

"I have arranged for you two to be hired into the company. These packets consist of your backgrounds. Memorize them. They're extremely important… I don't have to tell you that. You must preserve your identities at all costs. You are a married couple named Musako. You are a husband-wife engineering team. Both of you are brilliant at what you do, and have done extensive research into this area yourselves. Koganei shall go with you, as your ward." 

"He's a little old to be my son, Kurei-sama," murmured Neon, looking through her background information. 

"He is the son of your deceased elder sister. His background is taken care of. I understand his command of English is tolerable, and his participation will add a degree of innocence to your presence. His mind will be of great assistance to you as time goes on, especially concerning the madougu. He must befriend the son of Henson-san, the chief executive of the corporation. You two must befriend him and his wife. We are hesitant to think that those dear to us would betray us, ne? You must cloud his thinking. You shall work on the research for as long as possible. Then-right at the end, after all the tests have been successful-you shall sabotage the project. Their madougu will not work when it is brought for approval. Their madougu will have disasterous consequences. You will make sure of that. The plans shall be stolen and replaced with marred copies. Smuggle the plans back to me… and then I shall put our own people on the job. A few weeks later, you two shall mysteriously disappear, having been kidnapped. We're looking at a time period of five to six months." 

"Why not just steal the plans up-front?" inquired Joker reasonably. "There would be a lot less of this cloak-and-dagger dance." 

Kurei curled his lips into a smile. "I don't wish to waste more resources than I have to," he answered. "I'd prefer the Montfort Corporation to foot the cost of ironing out the wrinkles and working out the bugs… before I give it to my people to fine-tune." 

"Do the both of us have to go?" asked Joker curiously. "Are you really all right with having two of your Jyushinshuu leave the country at the same time? You could pair me up with Aki or Miki or someone else who was low-level Uruha. You could pair Neon up with Mokuren or Magensha or Gashekura. It would be more efficient that way… I doubt we'll run into any problems where the both of us would be necessary." 

Kurei shook his head. "I've chosen you both for a reason," he answered. "Your English is better than the others'. I doubt Aki or Miki could pass themselves off as an engineering genius as well as Neon-san can. You both are better at endearing yourselves to people… moreso than certain others I could name. And you have worked well together in the past and have proven your loyalty. That is why I entrust this mission to you… do you accept?" 

"Hai," they had agreed, bowing their heads in supplication. 

But despite her ready acquiescence, Neon had felt hesitant at being assigned on such a long job with Joker. He was a very capable individual. He wasn't as stupid as he sometimes pretended to be. He was strong, even though he wasn't built like Jisho or Gashekura or Kai. He had a sharp mind and a quick wit. Yet he found a childish pleasure in tormenting her, trying to embarrass her, and playing with her words. 

She doubted the could endure six months of that in a foreign country. She'd probably end up killing him before their time was up. 

She doubted Kurei-sama would look favorably upon such an act. 

Finished brushing her hair, she began scrubbing energetically at her teeth. 

Although it _did_ seem like a cloak-and-dagger dance, as Joker had commented, she had found pleasure in it already. It was fun, pretending to be married to Joker. She paused in mid-brush, shaking her head slightly at that last thought. Pleasant to pretend to be married to that freak? Hardly… but it was still amusing, playing a part in this charade. Being able to make playful remarks, yet with the full knowledge on both sides that this was only a game. It wasn't for real. 

She spat the toothpaste into the sink. 

For the first time, she understood how Joker had such fun annoying her. Because it _was_ fun, after all. _Two can play at this game,_ she thought, grinning to herself as she walked down the hall and back to the bedroom. 

Joker was still sprawled over all the blankets and the pillows, but he lifted his head slightly when she opened the door. 

"Oh, Neon-han… that's not what I expected at all," he said, disconsolately surveying her pajamas. "You look like you're going to go jogging… not go to sleep. I thought you'd at least be kind enough to wear something lacy or satiny for your poor, tired hubby to-mpphhgg!" 

Neon had pulled one of the pillows from under his head and had brought it down over him, hard. Glowering, she slipped under the blankets and turned her back on him. 

_Two can play at this game…? Maybe not,_ she thought, trying to ignore the snickers coming from the other side of the bed. 

* * * 

Neon opened one eye. _My foot's asleep,_ she thought, wiggling her toes and feeling the pins and needles shooting up her leg. It didn't take her long to realize that the reason for it was that someone else's leg was slung over her own. Come to think of it, there was an arm wrapped around her waist, and someone's face was nestled against the back of her neck. And the owner of those various appendages was breathing normally, deep asleep, and unaware. 

She considered her options, then decided that his current oblivion was enough to save him from her wrath. She gently disentangled herself, wandered over to the closet, scooped up her clothes, and left to change in the bathroom. 

Joker watched her through nearly-closed eyes as she gathered up her things and left. Between his eyelashes and his bangs and his care to keep his breathing regular, she hadn't realized he was awake, and had been for the last half hour. But he had been quite comfortable and hadn't felt like getting up and facing the day. 

He yawned and sat up, kicking aside the blankets. Today was the first day at the Montfort Corporation. Time to magically turn into an engineering genius. He rolled his head from side to side, trying to work out the kinks. Fortunately, he and Neon had previous extensive experience with madougu. Not only had they worked with their Taishaku Kaiten and the Fukyo Waon, but they had dabbled with others. Madougu tended to choose their owners, and so there was an extremely limited number of weapons with which one could become proficient. However, their training as Uruha had involved learning how madougu worked. Not quite the same as understanding how they were made-- but still, any information would probably be useful. 

He picked through the closet sleepily. Mornings weren't his strong point. He finally pulled out a golf shirt and a pair of khakis. The people back in Japan would roll over laughing if they saw him show up for work dressed like that... but the people back in Japan didn't particularly matter at the moment. What mattered was that he blended in with the other engineers. And engineers didn't wear suits to work. 

Neon and Koganei were sitting at the table, discussing something over their breakfast cereal. "Hey, sleepyhead, you're up," said Neon, taking a dainty bite of her frosted shredded mini-wheats. 

"I hope you didn't finish off the whole box yourselves," said Joker, picking up the box. "I hate having my shredded wheat being shredded to the point of powder..." 

"There's plenty left; stop your griping," said Neon casually. Another bite. "Hey, Joker-san, you know what? You're a snuggler. You didn't warn me." There was a glint in her eye. He wasn't quite sure if it was an annoyed glint or a teasing glint. It was hard to tell with her sometimes. 

"Am I?" Joker decided it was best to play it innocent. "Gomen, then." He poured milk over his cereal. "Oi, Neon-han, did you get a chance to look over those packets again?" 

Neon looked a bit disappointed that he had allowed the subject to drop so quickly. But she quickly reverted back to her normal, professional self. "I glanced through it a bit while we were unpacking, but didn't really look at it any more thoroughly than I had when we were with Henson-san." 

"I figured out what they're trying to control," said Joker. "It came to me when I woke up this morning... they're trying to create a madougu which manipulates matter." 

"Kind of like your Taishaku Kaiten?" asked Neon, putting the milk jug back in the fridge. She hated it when the milk was left out... 

He shook his head. "Kind of, but not really. Mine changes the mass of an object, yet the size remains the same... This is more like Genjuro's staff. It will compress matter to shrink or enlarge objects. Most objects consist mainly of empty space. This madougu would theoretically get rid of up to 60% of that empty space, shrinking objects to a fraction of their original size." 

"How useful," she remarked, rinsing out her empty cereal bowl and placing it in the dishwasher. "I can see how that would be of interest in the commercial field... think of it. Shipping companies, for instance. Instead of fitting a hundred boxes into a freight truck, they could fit a million." 

"Or airlines," suggested Joker. "They could compress your luggage for you and have you carry it in a little plastic bag. People could bring their cars over oceans... they wouldn't have to rent moving vans to move... they could fit all their groceries in a shoebox." 

"It would come in handy for espionage, ne?" mused Neon. "Someone could have a tape recorder or a movie camera... or even people hiding inside pockets." 

"It would be useful for movie theaters," suggested Koganei brightly. "You'd only have to pay for one ticket to get in..." 

"And those are just the small ideas," said Joker. "I'm sure if we sat and thought about it, we could find all sorts of interesting values." 

"I wonder why Genjuro hasn't optimized his madougu's potential," murmured Neon thoughtfully, leaning against a kitchen chair. 

"Well, for one, Genjuro only has one madougu. It's not much use if there isn't someone on the other end capable of reversing the size change. Secondly, Kurei-han doesn't want to go commercial with madougu, broadcasting their existence to everyone," answered Joker reasonably. "If he did, others will try and research them. I rather wonder how the Montfort Corporation found out... I guess that's on our list of things to investigate, ne?" 

"We've got a lot of things to look into," agreed Neon reasonably. She glanced at the clock. "Koganei... your school bus will be at the corner any minute. Here's your lunch... here's your backpack... have fun at school. Do well!" 

He nodded. "All right, Ka-chan," he agreed, grinning fangedly. He gave her an impulsive hug, wriggled his arms through his backpack's straps, grabbed his lunch, and ran out the door. 

"My, he looks more and more like you every day," giggled Neon. 

"Oi, I feel like a little happy family," smiled Joker. "Too bad you can't stay at home with a little frilly apron and give me a kiss as I leave for a day at the office." 

"Too bad I'm coming with you," agreed Neon. "And I think I got rid of all my little frilly aprons when I stopped being the maid..." She finished clearing the dishes up, and he helped her. "Let me grab my shoes, and I'll be ready to leave," she said, disappearing into the bedroom. 

A shadow crossed Joker's face as he leaned against the back of a chair. _A little happy family,_ he thought disconsolantly. Images flashed through his mind... 'people' had never been his focus in life. In elementary school, he had been tormented because of his weakness. By the time he got to junior high, he had revamped his reputation into that of a bully. But being strong hadn't been enough… he wanted to be admired. By high school, he had polished his image to the point where he could be strong, yet had disguised his unpleasant side beneath a cheerful, friendly exterior. His past history had been forgotten as the girls had pursued him, the guys had envied him. And Joker had remained above it all, secure and confident that he did not need people, although he seemed to be friend to all. By college, he had perfected the art of manipulation. After graduation, he had acquired his Taishaku Kaiten. He had been accepted into Kurei's Uruha. How far he had come, from the scrawny, teary-eyed little runt he had once been! And yet… how much was he lacking? The feelings of discontent were gnawing away at his insides again, but he forcibly repressed those emotions as Neon rejoined him with her shoes. He wondered if he was the only one of the Uruha who still had cravings for a normal life. 

He opened the door for Neon. "Ah, Arami! After you!" he said in English, bowing elaborately. 

Neon giggled, replying in the same language. "Thank you, my handsome engineering genius of a husband!" She sauntered towards their rented car, swinging the keys idly in one hand. Perhaps this would be fun, after all… just not in private. 

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



	3. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: The Montfort...

  

**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter Three**   
**The Montfort Corporation**   
**[Bottou-chan][1]**

**[My Page][2]**

  
  

"So you've worked with these before?" Lawrence looked up from his microscope at Musako, who was busily taking notes. 

Musako nodded. "It was a top-secret government job," he explained. "That's about all I can say… apart from the fact that I was successful." 

Lawrence's eyes gleamed. "This is amazing technology that we've got here," he said. "It's like we're pioneers or something." 

"Or something," remarked Arami dryly, looking up from a preliminary report she had been reading. She didn't care much for Lawrence already. Whenever he spoke to her, his eyes never focussed on her face. They were always riveted to her cleavage. She turned a page. "To the best of my knowledge, our research hasn't left Japan until now. How did you people come up with the idea this was possible?" Her words were spoken casually, but she was watching him closely. 

Lawrence shrugged evasively. "One of the company big shots found a device on a business trip to Japan. We studied it, and are attempting to replicate it." 

Arami and Musako exchanged a glance. 

"Where did he get the device from? Does he still have it?" pressed Musako. 

Lawrence shrugged again. "How should I know. I'm sure if we asked, he could bring it to us… but we've got more than enough data to work with right now. It's a matter of dragging the information out of the data." 

They allowed the subject to drop. For now.   


* * *

  
One month later   


* * *

  
"The project's coming along well," said Lawrence, standing in Mr. Henson's office. Several members of  the Montfort Corporation's board of directors were seated, too. Arami, Musako, and a few other engineers working on the project stood off to the side, watching the proceedings and ready to field any questions Lawrence was unable to answer. "We had a few glitches in the Y sector, but have been able to iron most of those out. As of this point, we have a 20% success rate in the initial manipulation of an object, but only a 10% success rate in reversing our changes to original condition. We have a suspicion that a further investigation of the structure of the R sector holds the clue to a better ratio. It is Mr. Musako's theory that we investigate the Phi Fragment in the R Sector, whereas it is Mr. Wilder's theory that our problem lies in the current makeup of the Iota Fragment of the R Sector, and that those are the molecules we need to work on restructuring." 

One of the board members raised a hand slightly. "The techno-babble doesn't mean anything to us. What we're interested in is results. Will you have this finished within two months?" 

Lawrence glanced at his colleagues who silently lined the wall. "The efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Musako have greatly sped up the process, and they have provided some very unique, useful insights based upon their previous experience with similar projects. So yes, I do believe that if we continue at our current rate, we will be able to have a 75% success rate by the end of two months, if not better. However, I wouldn't be willing to have this go commercial until the reversal-rate was at least equal to the success rate." 

"When will you perfect the technique?" inquired another. 

Lawrence stared at him. "This is new ground we're working on," he said. "It could take ten, fifteen years before we're capable of perfecting a faultless system… and it might be twenty years before we fully understand _why_ this works." 

Mr. Henson shook his head. "We don't want to sit on this for ten or fifteen years," he said. "Our investors won't stand for it. We'll go commercial as soon as we feel we have a reasonably successful product. After all, it's the first of its kind-" 

"Minus the one in Japan," put in Musako, and heads turned to stare at him. He sweatdropped slightly. "Ever since I came here," he said, suddenly realizing he had drawn unwanted attention to himself, "I have been trying to discover what we're basing our own work upon. If there is already a preexisting device which is known to be successful… why have I not seen it yet?" 

"It would increase our productivity immensely," put in Arami, supporting her husband. 

"But all those tests we ran… the information… the data we collected… we've recorded everything pertinent regarding that object, down to the atomic level," argued Henson. 

"That doesn't matter," said Musako, shaking his head. "It would be a thousand times more helpful to Arami and myself to be able to actually handle the object, rather than reading computer printouts concerning its structural makeup." 

"It has no moving parts," said Henson. "It manipulates matter of its own accord-it's just a round… thing. Like a glass ball, almost. So the object doesn't matter… I believe that it can be produced in any shape, any size. What matters is on the inside. And our source isn't likely to let you cut up the device just to satisfy your own curiosity." 

"I don't want to cut it up," said Musako, beginning to get annoyed. "I want to look at it… get a feel for it… know what you're asking of me. Because you're not asking me to do original work. You're asking me to reproduce a preexisting object. How can someone be asked to make a reproduction if they've never seen the original?" 

"Our source is very possessive," snapped Henson. "He agreed to let us run the tests, in exchange for monetary reimbursement. But we're not about to sink more funds into him just to let you hold the device in your hand and satisfy yourself that it's nothing more than a little solid ball." 

Musako's eyes flashed as he bit back his next comment, although no one could see. Kurei had told him to stay agreeable… stay agreeable… stay agreeable. 

Henson would look very nice at the end of his Taishaku Kaiten, ne? 

A grin spread over his lips, and he contented himself with that thought. 

* * * 

"I'm going over to Jeremy's to play," said Koganei. Jeremy was the Hensons' son, who lived a short bike ride from the hotel. 

"Be back by dinnertime," said Neon. "We're eating at 6:30." 

"All right," he agreed, running outside and slamming the door shut behind him. 

"Those bakas," growled Joker, rummaging through the cupboards for a mixing bowl. "How can they expect us to be successful if they don't cooperate?" 

Neon smiled. "You're not concerned for their success… you just want to hurry up and get back to Japan, ne?" She began slicing carrots on a cutting board. 

Joker shrugged. "Which one of us doesn't? Koganei's having a blast… but I was never meant for a 9-to-5 job." 

"We only work until 4," Neon remarked, steadily chopping carrots. 

"You know what I mean," said Joker. "I'd rather go out and threaten a Japanese drug lord in the dead of night, than sit cooped up in an office all day. Wouldn't that be funny, if Kurei gave all his Uruha offices, though, and gave our victims appointments? I could just see our secretary now… 'Konnichiwa! You're a bit late for your 10:15 appointment, but Joker-san will see you now. Third door on your left.' 'Arigatou! Tra, la, la, la….knock, knock, knock, aiiiiiii!'" 

Neon laughed, dumping the carrot slices into the mixing bowl and turning her attention to quartering tomatoes. "You know," she admitted, "At first, I was a bit uneasy about having such a long mission with you. But you know what… you're not half bad." 

"Does that mean that I'm not half good, either?" asked Joker, pretending to pout. He peeked in the oven to survey the roast's progress. 

Neon shook her head. "It's… it's hard to explain. But you're different, somehow, as opposed to how you are in Japan. You're so… childish… back there, I guess. It's a relief to see a different side of you." 

"You're different, too," grinned Joker. "You're not half the whiny annoying stuck-up nag as you were back there…" 

Neon pelted him with a carrot slice and he ducked playfully. "I take back everything I said," she scowled, suddenly concentrating extra-carefully on the salad preparations. 

"Did you e-mail Kurei-han about today's meeting?" asked Joker, picking up carrot pieces from the floor. 

"Yeah… he replied, but I haven't run it through the decoding program yet."

"I'll check on that after dinner," he replied, pulling plates from the cabinet and setting the table. 

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



	4. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Success

  
**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter Four**   
**Success**

**[Bottou-chan][1]**   
**[My Page][2]**

  


"A toast… to the brilliant minds of the Montfort Corporation!" Lawrence raised his mug into the air, and his words were greeted with cheers and calls of "hear, hear" from his fellow engineers. 

They had arranged to meet at a local bar for an impromptu party, celebrating the success of their project. The device had successfully overcome the last fifty tests, not only shrinking the objects, but restoring them to their original size without mishap. 

"See, I _told_ you it was all in the Phi Fragment," grinned Musako, downing his fourth rum and Coke. The team had wasted almost a whole month investigating the Iota Fragment, against his recommendations. The Iota Fragment had been just fine. The Phi Fragment was the hang-up. He went off to find a waitress who could bring their group more pretzels. 

Lawrence draped one arm over Arami's shoulders. "You know, I've had my eye on you for a while," he remarked, the alcohol giving him courage to finally express his feelings. 

"I'm married," scowled Arami, grateful for the excuse. She gently disengaged herself from his arm. 

"C'mon… what does that skinny guy have that I don't?" sulked Lawrence, downing the last dregs and refilling the mug from a nearby pitcher. 

"What do you have that he doesn't?" returned Arami, daintily sipping her amaretto sour. Somehow, she preferred it when all Lawrence did was stare… it was distinctly uncomfortable having him talk like this. 

"Oh, _please_. The list is so long, the bar would be closed before I finished enumerating all my good points," scoffed Lawrence, slipping his arm over the back of Arami's chair. He wasn't actually _touching_ her, so she contented herself with scowling darkly at him. 

Musako came back with the sought-after pretzels, seating himself happily on Arami's other side. He passed the basket of pretzels to his colleagues, seemingly oblivious to Lawrence's actions, striking up a conversation with Mr. Wilder concerning the outcome of the hockey game on tv last night. 

"You're making things very awkward," hissed Arami, wishing that her fellow Jyushinshuu would turn around and intervene. "If you don't back off, things are going to get very uncomfortable at the lab." 

Lawrence grinned. "You don't care about him," he replied in a matching tone. "I can tell. I've been watching you. The way you look at him… the way you act around him… the tone of your voice when you talk to him, or talk about him… just the way you two are together. It's like you're friends, not lovers." 

Arami's cheeks flushed. Lawrence was dangerously close to one part of the truth… did he know it? 

"Ano… dear," said Arami, tapping Musako gently on the shoulder. 

He turned around, a bit surprised. Since when did she call him dear? 

She looped her arms around his neck and smiled brightly at him. "I just wanted to let you know that I think you're absolutely brilliant, and I'm so proud of you. I love you very much…" She closed her eyes and brushed her lips over his. 

The bangs hid Musako's quirked eyebrow. Where did _that_ come from? Not that he minded. He reached out to stroke Arami's hair tenderly as he deepened the kiss slightly. He reveled in the moment as the contact sparked memories of long ago… 

He pulled away, smiling at her tenderly, ignoring the hoots of his colleagues down the table. "You make me proud, too, Arami," he murmured, touching her cheek gently before turning back to his drink. 

Arami glanced challengingly at Lawrence. _So there,_ she mentally told him, and he only grinned irritatingly. 

* * * 

"…So that's why," explained Neon, in the hotel suite that evening, as they sat at dinner. 

"Oi… I thought that you had finally succumbed to my charms," grinned Joker, helping himself to lasagna. "And I was mentally berating myself why you couldn't have succumbed to my charms somewhere around 10 or 11 PM… when we were alone… and perhaps somewhere a little more comfortable than stick chairs in a crowded, smoky bar." 

"Yeah, right," scoffed Neon. "I'm sure that's exactly what you thought." 

"Actually, my thoughts at the time were, 'Ick, now I've got the taste of amaretto in my mouth, and it's not doing my rum and Coke any good,'" he lied. 

She shot him a dirty look. "The nice part about your grating personality is, you won't survive to reproduce," she scowled. "Future generations will be spared the torment." 

"So it worked?" asked Koganei through a mouthful of lasagna. 

Neon nodded. "It's scheduled to be given a test run in front of the Board of Directors next week," she explained. "So Joker-san and I will probably sabotage it the night before." 

"And you know how to bust a madougu?" asked Koganei. "I mean, break the insides... but keep the outsides intact, so they can't tell it's been tampered with?" 

Joker nodded. "In the R sector, Epsilon Fragment, I was able to pinpoint several chains of molecules which, if shredded into their individual components, would probably render the entire madougu useless. The strands were several billion molecules long, and it would be extremely difficult to reassemble them with the current technology." He glanced at Koganei and added, "There are very few chains like that in the whole madougu... most of the components are very individualized. But the entire Epsilon Fragment is the basis upon which the whole madougu pivots. If something was damaged there, the rest of the madougu would be rendered useless. If I tried damaging another fragment, it would most likely render the madougu to operational at a fraction of its capability, but still operational to a degree. We want this destroyed." 

The boy's eyes widened slightly. "How are you able to shatter just the one segment, and not the others?" 

Neon laughed. "The madougu divide themselves naturally into individual sectors. The sectors are naturally subdivided into fragments. It's rather like a built-in defense... the madougus themselves are, to a certain point, sentient beings. That's what these people don't understand... which is why we have more success in manipulating them than their people did. A little chi can work wonders... very useful as a supplement to the scientific instruments." 

"How long will it take?" pressed Koganei. 

Neon glanced at Joker. "Anywhere from two hours to three hours," she said carefully. "It's very delicate work..." 

"Good luck, then," said Koganei, finishing off his lasagna. "Hurry up, so we can get home."

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



	5. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Sabotaged Sa...

  

  
**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter Five**   
**Sabotaged Sabotage**

**[Bottou-chan][1]**   
**[My Page][2]**

"I'm going to call it a day," said Lawrence, scooting his chair back and stretching his arms exaggeratedly. "You guys staying longer?" 

Arami nodded. "I'm still not completely happy with my report… I'm going to stay a little longer, doing touch-up work." 

"I've got some additional observations I'd like to make, too," agreed Musako. "I noticed an anomaly in the R sector. I'd like to look over that to reassure myself. Tomorrow's a big day." 

"Funny, I don't remember having seeing any anomalies," said Lawrence, looking a bit puzzled. 

Musako shook his head. "Epsilon Fragment," he said. "I wasn't sure myself at first, except it seems to have grown larger this past week." He bent back over the microscope. 

"I don't want you to touch that anymore," said Lawrence, his voice taking on a different quality all of a sudden. Musako's eyes widened slightly and he stiffened imperceptibly as he felt something hard, cold, and metallic nudging against the back of his neck. 

"What do you think-" he began, but was interrupted. 

"Did you think I'd just leave you alone in the lab, tonight of all nights?" asked Lawrence, smiling coldly. 

Arami reached for her purse. Even though the Taishaku Kaiten was too big to carry around here, the Fukyo Waon was nice and portable. But an unseen person behind her prodded gently at her neck with another gun. 

"I wouldn't do that," came a voice. Henson's voice… "Drop the purse." 

She obeyed, and he slid his foot through the strap, lifting it. Without ever moving the gun from its position, he rifled through the purse, expecting to find a weapon of some sort. He was surprised at not being able to find one. "Do you always carry musical instruments around with you?" he asked with a short laugh, and tossed it aside to one of the counters in the laboratory. 

"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Arami, her voice quiet and calm. 

"How long did you think you would fool us?" smiled Henson. "You've overstayed your welcome." 

"This isn't particularly hospitable," pouted Musako. "Don't tell me that I've worked so hard for the Montfort Corporation… and this is how you thank us." He patiently allowed Lawrence to pat down his pockets in search of weapons. Of course, Lawrence found none. 

"Shall we say, this is our retirement plan for those who would wish us badly?" inquired Henson. "And you don't have to continue with this playacting. We've had your apartment bugged for the last two weeks. Long enough to know you're not who you claim you are. Neon. Joker." 

"Silly," laughed Arami. "Those are pet names for each other. I call him Joker because he's such a tease… so playful…" She smiled cheerfully, trying to bluff her way out of the situation. 

"And I call her Neon because she lights up my life like a big, vampy neon sign on the sleazy side of town," agreed Musako. 

A little vein throbbed on her forehead, but she refrained from saying anything. 

"That may be, and if so, how cute," said Lawrence. "And I assume you also joke about sabotaging our project so it fails?" 

Arami laughed. "We only speak Japanese at the hotel," she said. "Your translator was having fun with you." 

Henson smiled. "Maybe so," he said, "But if you genuinely want to see this project succeed… then you'll forgive us for what we have to do. Walk this way." 

It was best to cooperate now, Musako thought, disconsolant that his identity had been cracked. He had rather enjoyed being an engineering genius. Even if he could easily take on Lawrence any day of the week, he had little doubt that he'd be able to do anything but worsen Neon's situation. His Uruha training told him to take care of his own situation, and let Neon deal with hers… but he didn't feel like it. 

He wanted Neon to return to Kurei in one piece after this mission was completed. 

They allowed their hands to be tied behind their backs. Lawrence was especially vicious in trying to pull the ropes tightly around Joker's wrists, and they cut into his skin painfully. Then their feet were tied together, and they were made to hop into a narrow storage closet. 

"We'll see what how the Board will want to handle spies," said Lawrence, looking maliciously at Joker. He cast a somewhat-less malicious glance at Arami as Henson gagged and blindfolded her. "Too bad it didn't work out between us," he said, giving her a playful squeeze. 

She gave a "Mmmmmfff!" of outrage through her gag. 

Musako was blindfolded and gagged, too. The door was shut behind them and locked. 

"Sit tight!" said Henson, smiling. "It's only fourteen hours until the board meets… and I hope you had your dinner and went to the bathroom beforehand." 

The sounds of their laughter faded into the distance. 

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



	6. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Confinement

  

  
**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter Six**   
**Confinement**

**[Bottou-chan][1]**   
**[My Page][2]**

Joker rubbed his head against the metal shelving in the closet, in an attempt to loosen his gag first. It took a long while, and he had a crick in his neck, but he finally managed to free his mouth. He could hear Neon's muffled grumbling as she tried to free her hands. 

"What rotten people," he said, wetting his mouth and reveling in being able to move his jaws once more. "And they have absolutely no idea on how to gag a person properly." He managed to scoot across the floor and maneuver himself behind Neon. With a little work, he managed to undo her blindfold first with his teeth. It was much more laborious to remove her gag. It seemed that Henson had been somewhat more adept at this sort of thing than Lawrence was. 

Finally, she could speak. "I thought we checked the hotel for bugs as soon as we got there," she growled. "And the phone line. And all that good stuff." 

"We did," Joker agreed. "We're not complete infants… but they said they put it in about two weeks ago." 

"I wonder what tipped them off?" mused Neon. 

"Probably Lawrence… I think we did a good job of buddying up to Henson-san and his wife. But that creep's been after you the whole time… I guess we're not as good at pretending as I thought we were." Joker's voice was disappointed. 

Neon laughed. "He just can't take 'no' for an answer," she said cheerfully. "But Joker-san, you played a wonderful husband…" 

"Well, then, as my last request of my loving wife, would you do me the favor and get this blindfold off me?" 

An impish grin fluttered across her lips. "I don't know," she said, pretending to think it over. "You know, it can be fun-" 

"Neon-han, this is neither the time nor the place," sighed Joker. What business did Neon have goofing around when they were in such a serious situation? "Just get the stupid blindfold off, so I can see what I'm doing." 

"There's no light coming from the crack under the door," said Neon. "It's pitch-black. If my hands were free, I couldn't see them in front of my face." 

"Just get the stupid blindfold off!" 

"Don't make me re-gag you," teased Neon, reveling in this sudden power she had found. Oh, it _was_ such fun! 

Joker contented himself with muttering under his breath, but stopped when he felt her working at the knots with her teeth. 

"This tastes terrible," she remarked, tugging. "And it's a lot more difficult than it looks…" 

Joker laughed. "Too bad they couldn't have tied us up with something more edible… I'm starved. I have a feeling dinner was a long time ago. But it would make things a lot more pleasant." 

"You're not particularly worried about this mission at all, are you?" asked Neon curiously, biting in annoyance. The knot wasn't loosening. 

Joker shrugged. "They're amateurs. If they knew what they were doing… we'd be dead already." 

"Even the Red Baron got shot down by an amateur," reminded Neon. 

"And since when did you become a World War II history buff?" inquired Joker with a wry grin. "Besides, I thought Snoopy shot him down. You know, he asked the Great Pumpkin for a new battle plan…" He began humming under his breath. "_Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more, the bloody Red Baron was blowing up a storm; eighty men died, trying to end that spree, of the bloody Red Baron, of Germany…_" 

"Baka," said Neon. "I'm going to have to stop now… my mouth is tired." She wiggled her lower jaw back and forth, trying to work the aches from it. 

Joker worked at his wrists, but it was too awkward for much progress. "Lawrence-san was over-enthusiastic," he said. "I tried keeping the muscles flexed, so I'd have some slack… no luck." 

Neon leaned against a shelf. "What a miserable little closet," she grumbled. "I wonder how much time has passed." 

"I've got my watch on… see if you can press the little light button so you can see the time," suggested Joker, turning back-to-back with her. She fumbled around before finally locating his hands. A little more fumbling, and she found the light button. She craned her neck around to read the time. 

"It's nine at night," said Neon, raising an eyebrow. "We've been in here for five hours." She began working at his blindfold again. 

"It feels like forever," commented Joker. "There's no room to stretch… my poor legs have cramps." He wiggled ineffectually. 

"Don't move your head!" said Neon irately. "How am I supposed to aim properly?" 

"Oi, why don't you let me try getting your hands free?" asked Joker. "If it's as dark as you say it is… it won't matter if I can see or not." 

Neon looked around nervously. "All right," she agreed uncomfortably. She tried placing her hands as far away from her body as possible. 

"This is certainly a Kodak moment," grinned Joker impishly as they sat back-to-back, his bound hands groping behind him, trying to free her wrists. "Oi, it could be something people could write captions for." 

"You can kindly forget this ever happened after we get out of this mess," said Neon primly. 

"Oi, you haven't fulfilled my last request of you, so you can't be so cold to your dear husband yet," reprimanded Joker playfully. Impishly, he twisted slightly and sent a trail of feather-soft kisses down the back of her upper arm. 

"Aii! That tickles!" exclaimed Neon, automatically lashing out at him with her elbow and striking something. 

"Oi, that's my nose! Such domestic violence!" mourned Joker, wiggling his nose because he was unable to rub it. He turned his back on her again, once more focussing on his task. "I was only playing, Neon-han… you were getting cranky. You needed a distraction." 

"If I need a distraction that badly, I'll be the one to initiate it," scowled Neon. 

"Anything you can start, I can finish," he answered promptly, working once more at her wrists. 

"And that's supposed to comfort me?" she asked wryly. 

"Once I get your hands free, you can get mine free much more quickly… and we can get our legs working again, and I can take off this stupid blindfold," suggested Joker. "And then we can figure out a good way out of this closet… and once that happens, it's a cinch. We can completely destroy their madougu. We can take the plans and get out of here fast. We can grab the next flight to Japan, and not have to worry about mysteriously disappearing."

Neon nodded. "Sounds like a plan… now, if you could just get my hands free…" 

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



	7. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Vengeance

  
**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter Seven**   
**Vengeance**

**[Bottou-chan][1]**   
**[My Page][2]**

"Gomen, Joker-san… but these knots are so complex. It's like trying to undo a three-year-old's shoelace in the dark," said Neon. An indeterminable amount of time had passed before Joker had finally succeeded in freeing her hands. Neon's feet were freed, now, too. She had removed his blindfold with no problems, but his feet and wrists were giving her fits. 

"Ganbatte, Neon-han," he said cheerfully. "You can do it. Just don't get flustered." 

The closet door was suddenly flung open. 

A short little boy carrying a large golden Kougan Anki stood in the doorway. 

Neon had been about to pounce, but she checked herself when she realized who it was. 

"Koganei!" she exclaimed happily. "Glad to see you! Do us a favor, and cut through Joker-san's ropes. And free my feet, too." 

With three easy motions-snick, snick, snick-the ropes fell, useless, to the floor. 

"How simple was that!" he exclaimed, grinning at his two superiors. A tiny fang protruded from one corner of his mouth. "I would've expected better from you." 

Joker swatted playfully at Koganei. "Baka," he said. "As soon as we get back in Japan, I'll tie _you_ up in a little squirming bundle, throw you in a closet, lock the door, and see how long it takes you." 

"Hai, hai, hai," answered the little boy, looking bored. 

"Is that any way to show respect for your superiors?" inquired Joker, stretching in his efforts to regain his circulation. 

"My, he's more and more like you every day, Joker-san!" said Neon, unnecessarily. She spied her purse, still on the counter where it had been flung earlier. "My Fukyo Waon!" she exclaimed joyfully, clutching it to herself. 

"The madougu is gone," said Joker, checking the cabinet where it was usually kept locked. "But the blueprints… here they are." He tucked them under his arm. 

"So what's the plan?" asked Neon. 

"We three are going to go back to the suite and get packed up for a hasty departure," said Joker. "I'm going to get my Taishaku Kaiten and pay a certain someone a little visit. I shouldn't be long. Neon-han, you and I will come back to this place in time for tomorrow's board meeting." 

"Sounds good," said Neon. "Kaoru-kun, why'd you decide to come here?" 

"You said it would only take you two or three hours, not eight," answered Koganei. "When it got to be midnight, I figured you might need my brilliance to help. I didn't think you were here… but Neon-san's purse was on the counter. So you had to be somewhere, ne?" 

"Your brilliance, huh," scoffed Joker. 

"More and more like you every day," repeated Neon cheerfully. 

* * * 

Lawrence woke up from his sound sleep to see a shadowy form standing at the foot of his bed. The intruder seemed to be holding a pitchfork of some kind… 

"Sleep well?" inquired the voice kindly. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some questions I'd like to have answered…" 

Lawrence's eyes grew wide. "Who… what are you?" He could see in the moonlight that the figure wore some sort of cape and pointy mask… enormous mismatched gloves… how strange. 

"Oi, don't interrupt my questioning! You haven't even let me begin yet!" laughed the intruder good-naturedly. His smile gleamed in the moonlight, but it took on a menacing look soon enough. 

* * * 

"And they're all in?" asked Joker, standing across the street from the Montfort Corporation's building with Neon. 

"Henson went in about fifteen minutes ago… I've counted ten board members… sundry and various regular office workers." 

"Too bad for them," remarked Joker unfeelingly. "Ah, well. Neon-han, you're on." 

Neon raised her Fukyo Waon to her lips. The notes of her Requiem floated eerily across the street towards the first floor of the corporation's building. Within minutes, it had begun to tremble, finally collapsing into a pile of rubble. Police and fire engine sirens wailed in the distance as they rapidly converged upon the disaster area, but Joker and Neon had disappeared by then.

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



	8. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: The Report

  

  
**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**   
**Chapter Eight**   
**The Report**

**[Bottou-chan][1]**   
**[My Page][2]**

Kurei looked steadily at them. "You didn't bring back the madougu?" he asked ominously. 

Joker shook his head. "We couldn't. Just the plans." 

"Your departure wasn't very subtle, was it." 

"It got the job done. All of their information and databases were thoroughly destroyed. All of their research was lost. A number of their researchers were killed… Henson-san was among the casualties… there's no way they could recover within ten or fifteen years. If that soon." 

"And about this Lawrence-san who was always in your reports?" 

"He was found dead in his bed. No one can figure out the motive, or whodunnit," said Joker cheerfully. "Police think it's a bit suspicious he was killed the same day of the explosion… but they can't pinpoint anything." 

"And how did your cover get blown?" asked Kurei. "Don't tell me they decided to randomly bug your suite after so many months of faithful service. They had to have a reason." 

Joker's face took on a more concerned look. "Before Lawrence-san's mysterious demise, I finally managed to get some information from him I'd been wanting for a long time. The original name for the project was Operation Mugen… based on the name of the madougu they were trying to copy." 

Behind his mask, Kurei's face remained cold and impassive, but both Neon and Joker could tell that he was silently digesting this new information. "So what you're saying…" 

"You might want to keep a closer eye on Genjuro-san in the future," said Neon. "I'm assuming that's how they also discovered who we were." Her eyes had a steely look to them. 

Kurei nodded. "I'll turn the plans over to my scientists," he said. "Arigatou, for a job well done. You may go." 

Joker and Neon glanced at each other. "Hai," they said submissively, and left. 

Joker draped his arm around Neon's shoulders. "So, our divorce doesn't become final for another hour," he said. "You want to go upstairs for some marital bliss before we call it quits?" 

Neon shrugged herself free. "I don't remember any marital bliss in the first place," she replied, scowling, as they walked down the hall. 

"Admit it… every day, it was a joy to wake up in my warm, strong arms-" 

"-Freezing cold, because you stole all the blankets and kicked them onto the floor-" 

"-Fighting the urge to give me soft, sleepy kisses to wake me gently from my slumber-" 

"-With a crick in my neck because you hog the pillows, too-" 

"-Struggling with the internal torment of foregoing some early-morning loving because Koganei was in the other room and might overhear your noisy animalistic cries of passion-" 

"-Martyring myself night after night, longing to commandeer Koganei's couch for my own, but refraining, since I am not so cruel as to condemn him to share a room with you-" 

Raiha passed them, walking the opposite direction. "You two sound like you're married for real," he called over his shoulder. "You could have fooled me, anyways…" 

"See! We were destined to be together!" said Joker triumphantly, ignoring Neon's squawk of rage. 

   [1]: mailto:koganeikaoru@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/2329/recca/recca.htm



End file.
